In volleyball, ‘rhythm’ is commonly used to refer to a player’s comfort with certain situations.
To ‘disrupt a player’s rhythm’ means to put them in a situation that makes other parts of their game more difficult (like limiting their ability to attack after passing in a compromising position) or force a poor-quality skill execution (like a bad pass).
In volleyball, the libero is a player who only plays in the back row. They are the team’s primary passer (often the most skilled passer), and generally replaces the team’s middle throughout their back-row rotations. The libero wears a different color jersey than the rest of their team.
Forcing a player or multiple players to make multiple unclear decisions in a short amount of time.
For example, serving the seam between two players can cause a ‘decision crisis’ by forcing the players to quickly decide who will take the ball.
Another example is forcing a middle blocker to make a quick decision between commit blocking on the opposing middle or to anticipate blocking an outside attacker.
The area between the passer’s chest and forehead where they could choose to either pass with their forearms or hands. This is a common area to target with a serve, as it can cause hesitation or indecision for the passer.
A depth-change serve is one where the ball seems to be following a certain path, but then drops shorter or travels further than the passer expects. In badminton, this is called a ‘drop shot’.
A player who takes the first contact after the ball is served.
To ‘read’ means to take in visual information to predict where the ball will be directed.
For example, a passer ‘reading’ the serve means they are using visual information from the server’s body and initial ball trajectory & speed to anticipate the ball’s flight path.
The point where a player touches the ball, relative to their body position. For example, the ‘contact point’ when setting the ball would be just above the forehead, or when forearm passing the ball it could be in front of the hips.
How much time a player has to see the ball’s speed and trajectory before they contact the ball or it hits the floor.
The path that the ball follows during its flight.
